Fuel feeding means for internal combustion engines



' Nov.'12, 1940. w. H. RICHARDS 2,220,949

FUEL FEEDING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Original Filed Nov28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WALL/AM f7. RICH/ Pas Nov. 12, 1940. w. H.RECHARDS 2, 0,

FUEL FEEDING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Original Filed Nov.28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll lWLL/AM /7. RICHARDS Patented Nov. 12,1940 and 253,558, November 28, 1936, and January 30, 1939. Thisapplication November 17, 1939,

Serial No. 304,966

7 Claims. (Cl. 123137) (Granted under the act of March a, 1883, asamended April so, 1928; are 0. o. 757) The invention described hereinmay be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmentalpurposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relatesto internal combustion engines and more especiallyto novel means for feeding fuel to such engines, this. application beinga continuation of my co -pending application Serial No. 113,239, filedNovember 28, 1936 and of application Serial No. 253,558 filed January30, 1939.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a simple, reliable, andpositive device for dispensing fuel from nozzles anterior to the inletvalves of the individual cylinders of an internal combustion engine.

Another object of my invention is to provide fuel metering means forinternal combustion engines which automatically close against fluidpassage upon the introduction of pressure within the fuel circulatorysystem.

A further object of my invention is to provide means automaticallyactuating said fuel meter ing means upon periodic opening of the inletvalves of the individual cylinders of an internal combustion engine.

A still further object of my invention is to provide manually controlledmeans for varying pressure within the fuel circulatory system to provideproper relationship between air and fuel content of the mixture enteringtheindividual cylinders whereby said mixture is modified to conform tothe requirements of variable loads and variable speeds of said internalcombustion engine.

Through the novel construction of my fuel metering means, I haveprovided but one moving part for each individual engine cylinder, thuseliminating entirely the use of spring closing means.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain new and novelfeatures and combinations which willbe hereinafter more fullyillustrated and described in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which numerals of like character designatesimilar parts throughout the several views: i

Fig. 1 shows my invention installed upon an aircraft engine.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on the lines2-2.

Fig. 3 shows the rear elevation of the distributor portion'of myinvention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 taken on the lines 3-4.

In Fig. 1, a crank case i of an in-lineaircooled aircraft engine isprovided with cylinders 2, a cam-shaft housing 3, an ignitiondistributor head 6, and a fuel pump 5. The pump 5 is provided with inlettubing 6 and outlet tubing 1. The inlet tubing 6 is connected to a fueltank 8, while the outlet tubing 1 is connected to the inlet portion of afuel distributor 9. A by-pass portion of the fuel distributor 9 isconnected to the fuel tank. 8 by means of overflow tubing 10, aregulator mechanism ll controlling flow of fluid from by-pass to tank.The inlet portion of the fuel distributor 9 is provided with six outletsl2. Each of the outlets l2 are connected to an intake portion of thecylinders 2. A control lever l3 of the regulator mechanism II isoperatively connected to a hand control lever [4 of an engine control l5by means of a rod or rods Hi.

In Fig. 2, the intake half only of the cylinder 2 is shown. The top ofthe cylinder 2 is surmounted by the cam-shaft -housing 3, encasing acam-shaft H and cam-shaft rocker arm I8. A cover plate I9 is providedfor adjustment of the tappet portion of the rocker arm 18. The cylinder2 is also provided with an intake port 20, having a boss and flange 2|provided with a tapped hole 22 and a straight. hole 23. A hole 24drilled into the tapped hole 22 and normal therewith, leads to the upperexterior of the intake port 20. A conventional intake valve assembly isprovided for the cylinder 2. It consists of a valve 25 provided with aspecial under-cut portion 26, a valve guide 21, a valve seat 28,

' valve springs 29 and 30, valvespring retaining washers 3i and 32 and avalve spring retaining washer locking collar 33.

A fuel meter 34 is fixed to the boss and flange 2|. The meter 34 iscomprised of a housing 35, provided with major chamber 36, minor chamber31, and valve seat 38; and a plunger member 39, provided with a stem 40,a working piston 4|, a guide piston 42 having fuel passages 43 and avalve 44. The upper end of the hole 24 is provided with a conventionalpipe tap for installation of tubing connections 65. An inlet tubing 46extends upward and forward from the tubing connections 45. Fine similarinlet tubings 43 are secured to the cam-shaft housing 3 by means of aclamp 41 and a cap screw 48. Longitudinal disposition of the aforesaidparts is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

ffUN TV ISTAT S zen-{ arsome;

In Figs. 3 and 4, the fuel distributorl comprises an inlet portion 49and a by-pass portion 59. The inlet portion 49 incorporates seven bosseseach provided with a conventional pipe tap for installation of tubingconnections similar to those of Figs. 1 and 2. A valve seat II is prmvided for fuel passage into the by-pass portion 59. The by-pass portion59 is provided with a single outlet, having a conventional pipe tap, andwith control lever brackets 52. Apressure relief valve 53 and valvespring 54, coaxial with the valve seat 5l, are provided with a specialvalve spring variable loading means. The aforesaid variable loadingmeans comprises a spring washer 55, a spring washer driven pin 56, apiloted spring depressor 51, a depressor cam 59, and a bearing rod 59.The lever i3 and depressor cam 58 are held in proper interrelationshipby means of pins 69.

The operation of my invention is as "follows: The aircraft .pilotpositions thehand control lever l4 as shown in Fig. 1 and causes turningof the crankshaft located within the' crank case I. With happening ofthe foregoing, a fresh supply of fuel flows from the tank 8, through thefuel pump 5, to the inlet portion 49 of the fuel distributor 9. Fuelpressure is immediately raised to the maximum allowed by the reliefvalve 53, surplus fuel returning to the fuel tank 8 by means of theby-pass portion 50 and=overflow tubing l0. Fuel pressure rise in theinlet tubing 46 is contemporaneous with that within the inlet portion 49of the fuel distributor 9.

Referring to Fig. 1, fuel under pressure from the inlet tubing 46 passesthrough the hole 24 into the major chamber 36 of the fuel meter 34. Withthe parts disposition of the above figure and due to area differentialbetween the inner face of the working piston 4| and the valve 44, theplunger member 39 is immediately driven inwardly against the valve 25,thus effectually sealing flow of fuel under pressurefrom the majorchamber 35, through the fuel passages 43 in the guide piston 42, throughthe minor chamber 31 and out the valve-seat .38. Continued turningof'the crankshaft located within the crank case I causes periodicopenings of the valve 25. With the aforesaid opening, the hardenedtruncated conical surface forming the upper part of the under-cutportion 26 drives the plunger member 39 outwardly, thus freeing thevalve 44 from the valve seat 38 and causing a spray of fuel immediatelyforward of the intake port 29. Simultaneous inrush of air intotheinterior of the cylinder 2 picks up theaforesaid fuel injection, withresulting explosive intermixture of the two.

As the lever I4 of tlfi engine controli5 is advanced, fuel pressurewithin the inlet tubing 66 is increased, with attendant increase in theamount of fuel delivered to the intake port 20. The effect produced isidentical to that obtained by gradually closing the butterfly valve of aconventional carburetor air intake.

It is not the purpose of this invention to work out the technicaldetails of pressure difierentials essential to the proper operation ofthe fuel distributor 9 nor to enter into a discussion as to the bestprobable "material or materials for the plunger member 39 and thehousing 35 in view of the extreme temperature ranges to which thecylinder 2 is exposed in passing from starting to full operatingcondition.

I claim:

1. The combination in an internalcombustion engine having a poppet valvefor introducing air 2,220,949 H 1 v; into the cylinder of said engine,the stem of said poppet valve including a cammed surface, of iniectormeans operated by longitudinal movement of the cammed surface of' saidvalve'stem for introducing fuel into theengine intake.

2. The combination'in an internal combustion engine having a poppetvalve for introducing air into the cylinder of said engine, the stem ofsaid poppet valve including a cammed surface, of a fuel meter operatedby longitudinal movement of the cammed surface of said valve stem, saidmeter including a valve head the unseating of which permits flow of fuelinto the engine intake.

3. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a cylinderhead operably connected with means supplying fuel under varying degreesof pressure as well as a poppet valve for introducing air into thecylinder of said engine, the stem of said poppet valve including acammed surface, of a fuel meter operated by longitudinal movement of thecammed surface of said valve stem comprising, an open-ended housinghaving a side inlet operably connected with said .fuel supplying means,and a plunger member protruding therefrom with one end adapted to becontacted by a predetermined portion of said valve stem cammed surface.

4. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a cylinderhead operably connected with means supplying fuel under varying degreesof pressure as well as a poppet valve for introducing air into thecylinder of said engine, the stem of said poppet valve including acammed surface, of a fuel meter with longitudinal axis passing throughand substantially normal to the longitudinal'axis of said valve stemcomprising, an open-ended cylindrical housing having a side inletoperably connected with said fuel supplying means, and a plunger memberhaving stem portions protruding therefrom such that one of said stemportions is adapted to be contacted by a predetermined portion of saidvalve stem cammed surface.

5. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a, cylinderhead operably connected with means supplying fuel under varying degreesof pressure as well as a poppet valve for introducing air into thecylinder of said engine, the stem of said poppet valve'including acammed surface, of a fuel meter with longitudinal axis passing throughand substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said valve stemcomprising, a cylindrical housing having bi-diametered open ends and aside inlet operably connected with said fuel supplying means, and aplunger member sealing the greater of said open ends having a stemprotruding therefrom adapted to be contacted by a predetermined portionof said valve stemcammed surface, said plunger member having a secondstem protruding from and normally sealing the lesser of said open endsand adapted to be intermittently unsealed upon periodic openings of saidpoppet valve.

6. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a cylinderhead operably connected with means supplying fuel under varying degreesof pressure as well as a poppet valve for introducing air into thecylinder of said engine,

the stem of said poppet valve including a cammed surface, of a fuelmeter disposed normal to said valvestem such that the longitudinal axesthereof meet in a common point comprising, a cylindrical housing havingbi-diametered open ends and a side inlet operably connected with saidfuel supply means, the greater of said open ends being adjacent to saidpoppetrvalve and the lesser thereof being remote therefrom andterminating in a valve-seat, said fuel'meter further including a plungermember sealing the greater of said open ends having a stem protrudingtherefrom adapted to be contacted by a predetermined portion of saidvalve stem cammed surface, said plunger member having a second stemterminating in a valve head normally sealing the aforesaid valve-seatand adapted to be intermittently unseated upon periodic opening of saidpoppet valve.

7. The combination in an internal combustion engine having a poppetvalve for introducing air into the cylinder of said engine, the stem ofsaid poppet valv including a cammed surface, of injector means operatedby longitudinal movement introducing fuel into the engine intake, saidinjector means including an open ended discharge tube for said fuel, avalve head adapted to seat against the open end of said discharg tube tostop said discharge of fuel, a stem on said valve head engaging saidcammed surface, and means to close said valve with a force proportionaltothe pressure of the fuel in said tube.

WILLIAM H. RICHARDS.

